By MARTIN FACKLER

Published: April 22, 2008

A 150,000-ton Japanese oil tanker was damaged by an unspecified projectile when it was fired on by a small unidentified boat in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen as it was heading for Saudi Arabia to pick up a load of oil, said the tanker's owner, Nippon Yusen. There were no injuries, the company said, and the movement of the tanker, which was not carrying oil when it was attacked, was not impaired. Japan's coast guard said the projectile appeared to be a rocket, though information was still limited, according to local media reports.

The attack rattled the nerves of global energy traders, sending the price of benchmark light, sweet crude to a record $117.40 per barrel. Oil prices had also briefly touched $117 per barrel last week, after rebels attacked a pipeline in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer.